One Last Hope
by littany
Summary: A long-lost witch ventures back into the wizarding world, hoping for peace...but instead she finds a black dog that will change her life forever...
1. Back to the Wizarding World

A/N: Wow…this is probably the story of mine that has gone through the most changes. This one was very unexpected…I had a character idea, I started writing, and suddenly I had an entire plotline at my fingertips. I hope you all enjoy reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it. Well…on with the show! 

_My name is Arianna Black. Or, it was, anyway. I don't use that name anymore. I go by Newmoon, now. Don't get me wrong, I like my last name, but if I kept it, it would mean revealing to everyone who I am. I'd have to face my past. And I don't want that. It's bad enough, having to live with myself, wondering. _

_I am a half-blood witch, if anyone out there cares. My father was a Muggle, but I never really knew him, because he died was I was young. My mother was a pureblood witch. I have…had… two older sisters, Aileen and Melaina, twins. They're both dead now, along with my mother. I also have an older brother, the infamous Sirius Black. _

_He was my older brother by four years, and I adored him. He was my idol. Him, and his best friend, James Potter. _

_They were friends for as long as I can remember. It seemed right, for our mothers had been friends, and they went to school together. His mother was a really nice woman, and his father became like a second one to Sirius, the twins (that's what we always used to call Melaina and Aileen) and I after our own dad left. James was like another big brother. _

_Sirius and James were the biggest troublemakers ever. They caused mayhem everywhere, yet people loved them for their charming attitudes. I wished so much that I could be like my brother, and always hung around him. My sisters had had each other, and so they always left me out. For this reason, I liked Sirius better than them both. Shows how much of a fool I was._

_When Sirius first went to Hogwarts, I was lonely. Melaina and Aileen rarely played with me, not like Sirius had, anyway. He wrote back all the time, telling the twins and me all about Hogwarts, and his new friends. I couldn't wait to go myself. _

_I met Sirius' other friends when I started at Hogwarts. (I was a Gryffindor with Sirius, although my two sisters were Hufflepufffs) Remus Lupin was a studious boy who seemed to keep to himself all the time. Peter Pettigrew was, I suppose, a nice guy. I never really liked him much, to tell you the truth, I don't think Sirius ever really liked him either. He wasn't very smart, and only seemed to be a "tagalong". _

_I also met Lily Evans. She was a beautiful girl, with long red hair and green eyes. She was also one of the nicest people I'd ever met. She was Muggle-born, but still very popular, and friendly. Lily was also very bright; her intelligence sometimes even bested my own brother's. She did have a horrible temper, thought, and woe to whoever made it flare up. It was okay though, for she also had this way of making everyone feel merry, with the exception of James. _

_They fought all throughout my time at school, and from the way Sirius talked, all his, as well. I never knew how they got started hating each other, but it was obvious that something had gone wrong. I thought it was kind of weird, since Sirius and I both had a good opinion of both James and Lily. They seemed so alike, but had been brought up differently…maybe that's why they fought so much. _

_ Sirius and James were on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Beater and Chaser respectively. They were all quite good, and won several Quidditch cups together. Things were, for the most part, wonderful while we were at Hogwarts. It was afterwards, when everything was to change. _

_Not long after they graduated, Lily and James got married. Yes, you read right. Married. Don't worry, I was shocked, too. Apparently, they had gotten on better terms during their seventh year. Either that or nature decided to surprise us. I didn't see a difference, to be honest, but Sirius said I was too young then to understand James and Lily's relationship. To be honest, I still don't think I get it. _

_Anyway, Sirius was their best man, and almost everyone from their year attended the wedding. It was one of the happiest events I had ever been to. And then, a few years after the wedding, they had Harry. _

_I've only seen Harry once before, when he was a baby. He looked just like his father, messy jet-black hair and everything. But he had Lily's eyes. I saw him when I begged Sirius to bring me along on one of his visits. He was a happy baby, from what I could see. I wish I could see him again. _

_I knew that Voldemort (yes, I'm not afraid to write his name) was after the Potters, but I didn't know that it was serious. Sirius didn't tell me much about anything. He never really was around then, I realize now. I thought that he was busy, not…_

_Never mind that, I'm jumping ahead a bit there. Well, anyway, right before her 7th year at Hogwarts, Aileen died during one of the Muggle massacres. She had only been trying to help out…Aileen was always like that, the "light" of our family. She hated seeing others suffer. That was an especially sad time for us all, especially Melaina. My twin sisters were each others' best friends; I never realized how much Melaina loved Aileen until she died._

_Mum and I received word that Voldemort knew where the Potters were, that there was a traitor amongst us. We were terrified, but were assured by Sirius that everything was going to be okay, since they were going to use the Fidelius Charm to protect themselves. Sirius was their Secret Keeper. _

_How could you, Sirius? How could you ever…Sorry, there I go, jumping ahead again. I'm just so angry, and confused…_

_Anyway, so Sirius was their Secret Keeper. Everything seemed okay, and activities died down for a little while. Then something happened that changed mine and many others' lives forever. Voldemort found Lily and James, and killed them. _

_Mum and I were devastated. But I was also amazed; amazed that Harry had somehow survived. He had been sent to live with the Dursleys, Lily's sister's family. I had wondered why he hadn't been given to Sirius, as Harry was his godson, but never thought too much of it. _

_Sirius didn't come home that night, or the night afterwards. Mum and I didn't think much of it at first; like I mentioned before, he had never been around much. Then, two days after Lily and James' deaths, we were told Sirius was being sent to Azkaban. _

_Just sent. No court, no trial, no nothing. I remember being enraged. How could the Ministry send my brother to Azkaban without even a trial? Dumbledore told us later it was old Barty Crouch that sent the order. Evil power-hungry bastard, he was. But, I guess he was right that one time. _

_The Ministry was too busy straightening the world out to tell us anything about Sirius, especially since Voldemort had mysteriously disappeared the night of Lily and James' deaths. Dumbledore told us the story later. I had always liked Dumbledore. He was a good headmaster. I wonder if he's still at Hogwarts…_

_He told us why Sirius was sent to Azkaban. The Ministry believed he had given Voldemort information on the Potters, and led them to their deaths. _

_The idea seemed preposterous to me at the time. James _was_, after all, Sirius' best friend, and my brother and Lily were still on very good terms, too. I couldn't believe that the Ministry believed such a story. I remember seeing the disbelief in Dumbedore's eyes. He didn't want to believe what he was saying, either. _

_Mum just sat silently, listening. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, but she wasn't saying anything. I always admired Mum because she never had the violent fits of temper I often did. _

_Also, Sirius had gone to a Muggle town earlier that day. Peter Pettigrew, that boy I mentioned earlier, had corned him there, knowing that he had been Lily and James' Secret Keeper. Peter yelled at Sirius, asking him how he could do such a thing. And…and…Sirius pulled out his wand, and sent out a deadly curse that killed Peter and 12 other Muggles. _

_What happened to you, Sirius? I don't understand! Why, why, why? Why did you betray Lily and James, why did you kill Pettigrew, why did you kill those Muggles? I will probably never know, but those questions haunt me, even now, fifteen years later. Why, _why_? _

_You probably know the rest of the story. Pettigrew received an Order of Merlin, First Class. I'm sorry I ever thought ill of him. He was older than me; I should have treated him with more respect. As for Mum and I, we were disgraced forever. _

Everyone in our neighborhood knew Sirius was a member of our family, and they kicked us out, thinking that we were secretly helping Voldemort return or something. I had just recently graduated from Hogwarts, and I found it extremely hard to find a job, for no one trusted a Black. 

_Finally, we got sick of it. Mum and I moved to the Muggle world as Lyssa and Arianna Newmoon. The Muggles didn't see any relation between Sirius and us, since he looked more like my father, and we were welcomed into their community. _

_I miss being a witch, but this is really the only way I can be successful in life. Mum died two years ago of heartbreak, so now I live alone. I have no desire to see Sirius again, I'm just glad he got what he deserved. He didn't care about Mum, me, James, Lily, or anyone besides himself. We suffered a lot because of what he did. _

_You can only imagine how I felt when I found out that he escaped. Of course, if it were possible to escape from Azkaban, he would've found the way. My brother always has been brilliant, no matter how much I hate to admit it now. That's why I liked him. Even the Muggles around here are worried about him, and they don't even know half the story. I hope they catch him; and yet, I don't. I think that somewhere, beyond all my hate, there is still a part of me that believes he is innocent, no matter what anyone says. It always has been hard for me to say what I think, because my mind is all jumbled up. I may act like all of me hates Sirius' guts, but in truth, I think there is still some part in me that worships him, even while he's in Azkaban. _

_He escaped about a year or so from the date I pen this. I wonder how he's been keeping the Ministry at bay. Probably up to his old tricks as usual. If anyone could play keep away for a long time with the Ministry it would have to be Sirius. _

_I haven't seen or heard from Harry at all. He probably doesn't even know that I exist. I have thought about going back to the wizarding world, after all, no one has heard anything from us Blacks in years, they probably think we're all dead, so who will notice if an Arianna Newmoon shows up? Maybe I will go back, I don't know. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. The worst thing that could happen is that I could get kicked out again, and I'm used to it, so it doesn't matter. My whole life is based on a lie, so why stop know? _

_Oh, look, the newspaper's here. Maybe they finally caught Sirius. I doubt it, but I'll check anyways. _

_Arianna Black _

Arianna finished her name in a flourish and went to get the newspaper the paperboy had so kindly thrown in her posies. She fished it out and opened it. Nothing important happening today. She didn't think so, for it was one of those lazy June days. 

She stared at the paper she had written on. She didn't know why she had written all that, she had just felt like she needed to get everything out on paper. Arianna sighed and crumpled it up before tossing it into the recycling.

Writing had been useful for something. She convinced herself that she was going back to the wizarding world. They probably wouldn't even recognize her, and she looked nothing like Sirius anyway. She set off to find her wand in the attic. 

Arianna's mother had locked up both their wands to prevent them from using them in front of Muggles. Arianna had never opened the trunk before, even though her mother had deliberately told her where the key was. She sighed and turned the key. 

The box opened, and Arianna marveled at her wand's glory. It had been well preserved inside of the box. She remembered Mr. Ollivander's words, ten inches, ebony and dragon heartstring, quite whippy. She touched it slowly and couldn't help but let her fingers linger over the wand's smooth surface. Suddenly, she waved it around happily. It was like meeting a long-lost old friend again. 

After looking longingly at her mother's old wand, Arianna sighed and closed the box. She used to magic to pack the house up, and Apparated to Diagon Alley. 

It was great to see the old place again. Arianna remembered all those summers she had come here to buy new Hogwarts supplies…with Sirius. She cursed herself for thinking of him. She had to go on with her new life, without her lousy, double-crossing brother. 

She decided to stay at the Leaky Cauldron for a few nights, getting used to being a witch again. It wasn't too hard, considering that it was a lot easier than living as a Muggle. No one seemed to consider it strange that she had just moved in. 

Arianna looked up some old records one day, trying to figure out was going on lately in the magical community. Or at least, that's what she told herself she was doing. She knew, deep in her heart that she was really looking to see if there had been any more information and Sirius.

She did find a few interesting things. Apparently, about a year and a half ago, something had happened at Hogwarts with Sirius. Arianna read on greedily. It seemed that they had caught Sirius on the school grounds and held him, but he had mysteriously escaped…once again. The article Arianna found didn't have very much information on the subject. Arianna found herself enthralled by the mystery. She looked further, but didn't find anything more except that some teacher at the school Severus Snape had been involved. Severus Snape. Something about that name sounded familiar to Arianna, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

There were also a few strange stories written by some woman named Rita Skeeter about Harry and a few of his friends. They all sounded like loads of garbage. Arianna doubted there was any truth. She also read a few articles about a mysterious occurrence at the latest National Quidditch match, and a missing Ministry witch. _A lot has been going on,_ Arianna thought to herself. _I get the feeling that there's more to these events then the articles tell, though. I wonder why the Death Eaters are jumpy…_

A month later, Arianna had found an apartment to live in. She worked at the Magical Menagerie, doing what she truly loved, caring for animals. She had taken a particular owl home to treat when she saw the Daily Prophet's headline: BLACK SHOT BY MUGGLE! 

Sirius? Shot? By a Muggle? Arianna rushed through the article. 

_Today, Muggle Ralph Dion sighted the convicted murderer, Sirius Black near London. This Muggle had a gun, a machine used by Muggles to kill each other, and shot Black in the leg when he recognized him. Unfortunately, Black got away before the Ministry of Magic could get to him. _

_"It shouldn't be long before we catch him now," Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge declared. "He can't go too far with a busted leg."_

_It is said that Black will receive punishment of death by the Dementor's Kiss for his crime. The Ministry of Magic is conducting a search of that area._

Arianna buried her face in her hands. She didn't know whether to cry or cheer. _You should be happy, _she scolded herself.She fought with her emotions silently, but in the end, her sisterly side won. She didn't want her brother to die, and started crying quietly. The Dementor's Kiss was such a horrible way to be killed. 

Later, she dried her tears and decided to take a walk, not knowing where she would go. She wandered into the Muggle town Dublin. A large ginger cat with a bottlebrush tail stared up at her with lazy eyes. Arianna patted the cat, and it purred happily. 

"Crookshanks! Where are you?" A girl with bushy brown hair poked her head out one of the doors. The ginger cat yawned and stretched. It bounded into the house and the girl closed the door. 

Arianna watched the house for a moment, and then decided to move on. She sighed to herself as she watched all the Muggles inside the houses, having fun. She would give anything to be like them, to have her family back. But, no, she was all alone. 

The gray owl she had been treating flew ahead, leading the way. To where? Arianna didn't know. It suddenly swooped into a low alley. 

"Artemis," Arianna called to the owl. "Where are you going?" She didn't answer. Arianna looked into the alley. It didn't seem too scary, so she stooped down and followed Artemis. 

There was no sign of the owl anywhere. Arianna was beginning to get worried, if she lost that owl, she would be in it for sure. She could see the end of the alley, and hoped Artemis would be there. "Artemis," she called, again, hoping to hear the owl's long hoot. Again, there was no answer. 

Quite suddenly, Arianna tripped over something soft and large. It yelped in pain. Arianna quickly apologized and turned to see what it was. 

Big brown eyes stared back at her. In the shadowy light, Arianna could faintly see the outline of a large mammal, probably a dog. She wasn't scared, although she probably should have been. 

Arianna stared at the outline for a moment, and then heard the flutter of wings. She looked up to see Artemis swoop overhead. Arianna held out her arm, and she landed on it, giving the dog a cold stare. The dog crouched nervously. 

"Artemis, don't scare the dog," Arianna whispered to the owl. The dog cocked an ear at her voice. Artemis flew up as Arianna knelt down to feel for a collar. There was none. Feeling sorry for the stray dog, she got up and patted her knees, inviting the dog to follow her.

It got up slowly, and tried to walk. Arianna quickly noticed that its back left leg was bleeding. It limped along, until Arianna felt too sorry for it, and carried it back to her apartment while Artemis led the way. 

They walked out of the alley, and Arianna was finally able to get a good look at the dog. It was black, which probably explained why she hadn't seen it before. The dog stared at her, and for a moment, Arianna thought she saw something flash in its eyes, as if it was surprised. She shrugged and carried the dog on through the night.

A/N: Please tell me you know who the dog is. It's a tad obvious. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, I suggest you stop reading this and visit your local shrink. 

So what'd you think? Please review. I'd love to hear from you. Oh, and to flamers: all flames help cook my dragon's dinner. So, go ahead, send them if you like, though he (my dragon) prefers raw meat above anything else. 

Disclaimer: Does anyone ever read these? I usually do, for fun. But they have to be here…so here we go…*takes breath* Sirius, Quidditch, Hogwarts, the concept of Sirius having a mother (but not sister{s}…not yet, anyway), James, Lily, Remus, Peter, Fudge, Crouch, the Leaky Cauldron, the dog, the MoM and whatever else I used from the books are all J.K. Rowling's. Not mine, and never will be. Arianna's mine…Sirius' mum's name is mine…er…there's probably more, but whatever. I'll own more after the 2nd chapter. 

Some name stuff:

Arianna- Greek, "holy" (Although I've also seen that its Scottish and Italian as well.)

Aileen- Irish form of Helen "light" (Could also be Scottish/English) 

Melaina- variant of Melanie (Greek), "dark"

Lyssa- old English, "honey", or alyssum flower 

Artemis- The virgin Greek huntress goddess, also known as Diana…most of you probably already knew that, though…I hope. 


	2. The Black Dog

A/N: Well, it's obvious the first part didn't receive a very good reception. One review. *sigh* ah well, just to prove that I don't give up easily I will continue trying. For anyone who's interested, I have six parts to this already written and the rest planned out. So review! I want to post those parts *wink*. I promise I won't wait so long to post as long as I have some feedback. 

Artemis flew ahead of Arianna and her new companion as they made their way back to Arianna's apartment. She shifted the dog's weight so it would be easier to carry, and to her surprise, it did not protest. It merely seemed too tired to do _anything_, much less whimper or thrash about. 

Soon enough, they reached Riverside Apartments, much to Arianna's relief. The dog was extremely heavy. Artemis hooted softly and perched on a small stump near the building while Arianna stopped to assess the situation in her mind. Technically, she was not allowed to keep pets inside her room. Small animals like Artemis her landlord didn't mind, but she knew he would have a fit when he saw the huge black dog she was carrying. She certainly could not keep the dog. But she knew she just _couldn't_ leave him alone outside with a terrible bullet wound either, even for only one night. Siding with her heart (as she found herself often doing), she tiptoed toward her building slowly, hoping, perhaps no one would be about this late to spot her. Artemis flew onto her shoulder, as she was accustomed to when inside. 

_Lucky I live on the first floor_, Arianna thought, thanking the stars. Somehow she managed to get through the front door without upsetting her animals. And, there was no one passing through the halls as she walked cautiously, looking over her shoulder every few doors. Finally, she reached her own door and carefully placed the dog on the ground. It sat patiently as she used her wand to open her door, and walked right in. Arianna thought that was a little odd, but she was so exhausted that she paid it no heed and flopped onto her couch after making sure Artemis was in her apartment. 

Artemis flew to her perch on the ceiling and huffed indignantly at the black dog, which was studying its surroundings carefully. If dogs could do that, anyway. Arianna watched the dog for a minute and then walked over to it, patting it on the head. "Well…I suppose since you're at least staying the night…let's see if I can find something for you to lay down on…" She disappeared into her room, grabbing the flowered pillow she hated from her bed and a brown wool blanket. 

"Here you are," she said, smiling down at the dog as she laid the blanket out. Arianna stood back and prepared to coax the dog over, but to her great surprise, it walked over on its own accord and collapsed on top of the pillow. 

From her perch, Artemis hooted indignantly and ruffled her feathers, turning away from the black dog. "Don't be rude, Artemis," Arianna said, scratching her head. The owl just stared at the wall. _That's strange, too_, Arianna thought. _Artemis is usually only grouchy with humans…_Finally, she knelt down and patted the dog's head as a sign of surrender.

Glancing over the dog's large yet oddly skinny body, she suddenly noticed its mangled leg. She quickly stood up and wet a towel in order to clean the blood with. "This may hurt," Arianna told the dog, "but please, don't struggle…" She lightly touched the dog's wound with the towel while scratching it underneath the neck, a technique that usually calmed them. 

It seemed Arianna did not need her techniques, though, for the dog merely closed its eyes and let her wash its wound. She studied the wound carefully. She had seen many different kinds of scars on animals before, and judging from the shape and imprint, it looked like the dog had been shot with a Muggle handgun. She wondered what kind of person could possibly shoot a poor stray dog. It wasn't even vicious. She brought her face close to the wound to search for a bullet, but there was none to be found. _Perhaps it dropped out,_ she thought as she rubbed the towel over a particularly terrible-looking part of the wound. The dog whimpered slightly, but did not move. 

"It's so odd," she whispered suddenly, gently wiping at the clump of dried blood, "You're not even struggling…it's almost like you know I'm only trying to help," She had worked with many different animals, and she could not think of one that hadn't struggled at least a little during wound treatment. 

The dog opened its eyes at the sound of her voice. She smiled at it, and to her astonishment, the dog stared right back at her. Dogs usually avoided eye contact at all costs. But this one stared right into her eyes, and for a flickering moment, Arianna felt like she almost saw something human in those eyes. Something oddly familiar. 

And then, it was all over, as the dog's head returned to its place on the floor. Arianna blinked and wondered if perhaps she was imagining things. As she started to unwind the bandage she had brought with her, she heard Artemis hoot from her perch. She looked at the owl, which flapped down onto the ground where Arianna and the dog were situated. The dog's ears flopped up, and it watched Artemis as she waddled over to Arianna and started preening her feathers. "Hungry, are you?" Arianna said, recognizing Artemis' begging habits. "Well, hold on, while I attend to puppy, here," she said, taking the dog's leg and wrapping the bandage carefully around it. 

Artemis huffed again and hopped around Arianna spontaneously as she waited for her to finish_. Another odd habit_, Arianna thought, shaking her head sadly as she turned her attention to bandaging the wound. The dog, however, watched Artemis with amused interest, his tongue hanging out of his mouth and a huge dog-grin on his face. Arianna soon recognized this as animal laughter. The dog seemed to act more and more human every minute. 

Her job finally accomplished, she stood up and walked to the kitchen to wash her hands. Artemis hopped along after her, and after a few chuckles, Artemis finally fed the poor owl. It was quite obvious that Artemis was recovering splendidly from her injury, Arianna thought to herself. _That's good, since she's supposed to go home tomorrow, _Arianna thought a little wistfully. Although, the small white owl was moody and somewhat annoying, Arianna knew she would miss her funny antics. 

_That's right…I have to work tomorrow,_ Arianna remembered and she stopped wiping her kitchen counter to think. _What am I supposed to do with that dog? He's—_(Although she hadn't checked, she was fairly certain it was male) _too injured to walk far, and I'm certain it was pure luck that I was able to sneak him inside here. I can't leave him alone—my heart won't let me…and at the same time, my landlord won't let me keep him here._

She peered over at the dog, sitting peacefully on his blanket. He looked positively helpless. Arianna sighed. _Well, he doesn't have to know. It'll only be for a fortnight or so, anyway…_

Artemis settled back onto her perch after she had her fill and Arianna sat down next to the dog again, this time bringing a small bowl of water and dog food with her. "Hungry?" she asked, setting them both on the floor in front of the dog. It slurped happily at the water, but did not even look at the dog food. Arianna decided to leave both there overnight in case it changed its mind. Then, because she was dying of curiosity, she lifted its leg to verify its gender. Definitely male. 

The dog seemed mortally offended by this gesture and tried to move away. Arianna crouched on the floor, preparing to stand up and head straight for her bed. Without warning, she felt a rough tongue lick her arm gently. She looked at the dog, which seemed to smile at her and then lean his head back comfortably against the pillow. Arianna shook her head in disbelief and stood up, more than ready for a long night's sleep. 

~ * ~

The next day, Arianna woke up to a bright sun and blue skies, which set her off in a pretty good mood. She yawned and looked at her clock. 7:00 AM, _Good, I have about a hour to get ready, _she thought, rising from her bed and walking out into her living/dining room.

Just as she walked in, the black dog's ears perked up and he watched her closely. She smiled at him. "Good morning, puppy. How is that leg of yours?"

The dog sat in stony silence as she approached him and knelt down to examine his leg. He turned his head so he was sure of what she was doing, but did not make any real protests. 

Arianna unraveled the bandages on the dog's wound and saw that it had at least stopped bleeding. She ran a finger and touched the wound's surface. It was healing at least. The dog would most likely need care for around two weeks, though, if not more. She sighed and wrapped the bandage back around his leg. "All right, well, I suppose you're hungry, eh?"

Just then, Arianna heard a loud hoot from the ceiling. She stood and turned to see Artemis staring down at her, almost as if to say, "Hey, I'm awake, too!" 

"Good morning to you as well, Artemis," she greeted, holding her arm out. Artemis flew down and clutched Arianna arm gently with her talons and nibbled at her hair affectionately. Arianna chuckled a little and brought Artemis into the kitchen with her. She settled the gray barn owl on the counter, and Artemis watched curiously as she made arrangements for breakfast.

Soon enough, Arianna has set out food for both animals and was sitting down to her customary breakfast of oatmeal. She spooned a mouthful into her mouth and her eyes wondered to the dog, which was watching her eat. "You have your own food there, you know," she said, gesturing towards the bowl she had set out the night before that still had not even been touched. 

The dog continued staring at her silently, but suddenly, his head turned towards her window and he growled softly. Arianna put her spoon down and realized that she could hear a soft tapping at the window. Artemis hopped around nervously on the floor as Arianna stood up and looked out the window. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw something white near the top of the window…she took her wand out from under her sleeve and said, "Alohomora!"

The window flew open and something white swooped inside, dropping a letter on the dog's head. The letter slid off and onto the floor, and the dog stared at it curiously. Arianna blinked and saw that the "something" had been a white snowy owl, which had perched on her table. Artemis hooted at the other owl, annoyed, but the white owl hardly paid the small gray barn owl any heed and proceeded to preen itself. Arianna watched the owl, confused—obviously, it was delivering a message, but she couldn't think of anyone she knew with such a beautiful snowy owl—and no one had ever bothered to owl her before, anyway. 

She suddenly remembered—the letter. Her eyes turned to the envelope next to the black dog, and she bent over to pick it up. For some odd reason, her hands were shaking. The letter wasn't addressed. She sighed, trying to calm herself as she broke the seal and unfolded the letter. She nearly dropped the letter when she read the first word—

_Sirius—_

A chill crept up her spine. Why was someone sending a note to a convicted murderer on the run? And, more importantly…how had it found its way into her household. Her hands were shaking even more, and she felt her heart almost stop as a haunting question floated through her mind.

Did someone know who she really was?

Arianna tried to put the letter down, or better, rip it up and throw it away, but something stopped her. She looked down at the dog, and suddenly, she knew she had to read the rest of that letter—otherwise she would never forget about it.

_How are you? I am hoping Hedwig was able to find you in one piece—I know you told me not to send mail, but I'm so worried. I heard about what happened on Muggle television…I couldn't stop thinking about your condition. Please send a reply back with Hedwig—I know it's dangerous, but I really need to know that you're not in agony on some back street._

_Your godson, Harry _

Arianna read the letter several times, but after each time, it made less and less sense. She was pretty sure she knew who "Harry" was; no doubt it was Harry Potter, James and Lily's boy, but she could not imagine why he would be writing to _Sirius Black _of all people! He was after all, responsible for Harry's parents' deaths. Wasn't he?

She looked at the snowy owl, which she was assuming was the "Hedwig" mentioned for some answers. But the owl's gaze was directed downward, and Arianna realized she was looking at the dog. Quite suddenly, the dog's head turned to the side, towards the open window, and Hedwig took off flying. 

Arianna watched the bird fly out of sight and looked back at the black dog, bewildered, but it just resumed its position on the blankets, looking as comfortable as ever. She took one look at the letter and sighed in distress. "I give up," she whispered. "I don't understand anything…"

She set the letter down on her table, and for a moment, her eyes lingered onto the clock on her wall. To her surprise, it was nearly 8:00 AM. Time for work. Almost grateful for a distraction, she quickly gobbled up the rest of her oatmeal, packed Artemis up and ran out of the building, eager to sort out her confusion at work. Or hopefully, anyway. 

~ * ~

For the remainder of the morning, Arianna was at the Magical Menagerie, working her shift behind the counter. Artemis' owner, a short old lady by the name of Lexington, came by around noon to pick up her owl. Arianna handed Lexington Artemis' cage and smiled pleasantly. "She was no trouble at all, Ms. Lexington, and she seems to be doing well now,"

Lexington looked over Artemis and snorted. "Well, I certainly hope so. How much do I have to pay you?" 

"10 galleons and 5 sickles," Arianna said. Lexington mumbled grumpily about the price and Arianna was strangely reminded of Artemis. _Owners are often like their pets, _she thought, smiling to herself as she took Lexington's money. "Thank you, Ms. Lexington…goodbye to you both," she said, touching Artemis' feathers through the wire bars. Lexington snorted again and muttered farewell as she briskly walked out of the store. 

Arianna sighed, wondering what made that woman so grumpy. Perhaps it was simply her nature. She laid her head on her hands and let her mind wander back to the dog at home…and the letter...she groaned inwardly; she still had no idea what to make of it…

"Good work, as usual, Ari," 

_Ari!_ The name made her jolt with sudden surprise. Only her immediate family had ever called her that before, and it brought horrid memories of older siblings she knew she would never see again. She turned around suspiciously, only to be met with the eyes of a fellow co-worker, Matt Jarvis. 

He was of medium height and build, with dark hair and the deepest blue eyes Arianna had ever seen. She sighed and turned her back towards him again. "Please don't do that, Matt,"

Matt walked around the counter and stood in front of it, forcing her to look at him. "Do what?"

"Call me…" she sighed a little and avoided his eyes. "That name."

He cocked his head a little in surprise. "What, not Ari? All right then, how about Rianna? Or Anna? Or just Ri? "

She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Why not?" 

"Because I said so."

He batted his eyes in mock sadness at her. "I let you call me Matt…" 

"Everyone calls you that," she observed, looking pointedly at him. 

"Aha," he said, pointing a finger at her. "Finally she looks at me."

Arianna sighed and shook her head in exasperation. Matt sensed his presence was clearly not wanted. He smiled a little, and said, "All right, then, Ari_anna_, I'll leave you here. Just tell me when your shift is over, 'cause then it's my turn." He turned and walked back into the hospital part of the shop. 

Arianna watched him leave and inwardly kicked herself for being so antisocial. She knew he was only trying to be friendly. Somehow it was very, very hard for her to talk to men anymore, and she wasn't exactly sure why, although she suspected it had something to do with her developing fear. After her whole family's sudden departure, Arianna found it hard to trust people. 

_He was right, though,_ Arianna thought to herself, _It is almost time for me to leave_. She took her apron off and hung it on the wall. _Time to go back home to that dog,_ she thought, smiling. She knew she was growing fond of the creature, which was bad considering the fact that she could never keep it. She called Matt to the counter, and surprisingly, he just nodded and resumed his place without any further comments. Arianna came very close to trying to apologize for her behavior as she walked out the door, but some underlying doubt still kept her from doing it.

Arianna used her wand to Apparate in front of her apartment complex and opened the door. She walked to her door, thoughts racing of the dog and the letter…the door opened and she anxiously peered around, searching him out. 

His pillow and blanket laid alone on the ground. Arianna stared at them for a moment. There was an odd aura about her apartment. Something was different…she could almost feel it in the air. She looked around cautiously, and her eyes suddenly fell on a pad of paper and a pen on her dining table. _That's funny, I don't remember leaving that out…_she felt a little sick inside with fear. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her, coming from her bedroom. 

She had never felt more terrified in her life. She clutched her wand in her trembling hand as she bravely choked out, "Who's there? Come out now!" 

She heard the steps hesitate, and then, finally, a tall man stepped out of the shadows. As Arianna saw his face, her heart sunk even lower into the ground. It was a face she knew so well; a face she would have to work to forget. A face that she had been sure, at least a few minutes ago, she never wanted to see again. 

The face of her older brother, the escaped convict and murder, Sirius Black. 

A/N: Well there you have it…sort of a cliffhanger. The faster you review, the faster I post! 

Disclaimer: You possibly think I own this stuff? Bah. I'm just a crazy teenager using J.K.'s ideas! Anyway, I suppose Ariannna, Artemis and Matt are mine…joy…

Names:

Matthew- "gift of God", Hebrew


	3. Revelations

A/N: Yay! I have reviews! And my Sims game is working! And I only have one week of school left! Happy days are here! Thank you to everyone who reviewed…here's the next installment…

Sirius said nothing, and just stood there, staring at her with those sunken eyes, showing no expression whatsoever. Arianna hardly dared to breathe.

For a while, they just stood there, staring at each other. Arianna was too scared to talk again, and besides, what would she say if she wasn't? What do you say to your convicted murderer brother who has just escaped from Azkaban? She didn't know. Frustrated, she started to think about all the things he had done to melt her fear. Betrayed his best friends, killed twelve innocent muggles with one curse…Anger rose up above the fear. It gave her courage, which she needed. Angrily, she thought of what to say and spat them out as viciously as possible. "What in bloody hell are you doing here?" 

Sirius looked startled at her tone. "Ari, I—"

She didn't let him finish. "Did you come to murder me, too? Like Peter, and those muggles? Betray me, like Lily and James? I warn you; I have my wand," she said breathlessly, reaching into her bag to touch it. 

Sirius shook his head desperately. "No—"

"Or," she added, cutting him off again, "Did you come here looking for shelter? Did you honestly think even I would bloody care for you, after all you've done? Hah," Arianna spat on the floor in disgust. She glared at him as sinister as possible. "You ruined my whole life. After you went to prison, everybody shunned Mum and I. We had to move away; become Muggles. I don't trust anyone anymore. And it's all your bloody damn fault! So just… sod off!" Anger was blinding her. She moved forward and slapped him on the cheek, her eyes watering. 

He turned away, holding his burned cheek for a moment. Arianna flung her bag on the floor and walked to the couch, trying to restrain her herself from getting even more violent with him. Tears flooded out.

Sirius recovered quickly, and he croaked out, "I didn't come at all." 

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked bitterly, not looking at him. 

He walked over to where she was sitting. "You brought me here." 

"What?" 

"When you left this morning, there was a dog in your apartment. Now when you come back, I am here, but no dog."

Arianna was beginning to see where this was leading, but she refused to believe it. "So?" 

"Don't you get it? Arianna, I _am_ the dog. The one you nursed and fed. The one you set out pillows for. I'm an Animagus." He lowered his hand from his cheek and faced her.

What was he talking about? He couldn't be an Animagus, could he? Her mind was reeling. "You _can't_ be an Animagus," she countered, finally looking at him. "People would know. They keep records of people who try out that spell!"

"I never registered. Would you like me to prove it?" he asked suddenly.

"No," she said, realizing that he must be. _He always loved dogs,_ she thought wistfully. Shaking her head quickly, she went back to being yelling at him. It was how she dealt with fear. "That's how you've been getting around! That's why no one's caught you yet, even though it's been a fortnight since you were shot! You've been traveling as a dog! I've got to tell someone!" She bolted up from the couch, but he wrestled her back down in an instant. "What the h—"

"Arianna, you've got to listen to me. You don't know everything. You can't—"

"I can do whatever I damn well want to! What do you mean I don't know everything? I know that you bloody _betrayed_ your best friends to Voldemort and killed thirteen innocent people! I know that you escaped from Azkaban. That's enough for me to turn you in!" She growled as she tried to fight her way up. He pinned her down on the couch. She quickly kicked him off, and stood, leaving him sprawled on the floor, clutching his leg. Chest heaving, she reached for her wand. She realized it was in her bag, which was sitting right next to Sirius. She looked up, only to see him holding her wand in his large, rugged hands. 

She gulped and tried not to look scared. "Give me my wand," she hissed. 

Sirius looked at it for a moment. Then, quite suddenly, he threw it over to her and she caught it, surprised. "There. You're armed. I'm not. Will you listen to me?" 

Arianna breathed in huge gasps. She didn't want to listen; she wanted to yell out some curse that would kill him. "No. You probably know how to do spells without a wand. From Voldemort." 

He laughed. "Do you honestly think I'd kill my own sister? My own flesh and blood?" 

"Why not? You killed Peter. And you were responsible for James and Lily's deaths." _Stop talking! _She told herself angrily. _All it takes is a few words. A few words and he'll be gone, never to kill anyone again. Do it for yourself. For Peter and James and Lily. For Mum, Ail, Mel… and all those Muggles. For Harry…_

He sighed, slowly getting up. "Sadly, the first isn't true. The latter…well, I guess in a way it is." His tone dropped considerably. 

His words confused her, and she unconsciously lowered her wand. "What are you havering about?" (Haver: British slang for "ramble") 

"It's a long story. Are you willing to listen?" 

_No! _Arianna's mind screamed. _No, I don't want to listen! I'll just get rid of you now…_But her curiousity got the better of her, as always. It was a good thing, she guessed, for there was no way she could actually kill him. He was still her brother, even if he had done horrible things. "I guess," she gave in, laying her wand across her lap, keeping it still in reach just in case.

She listened to Sirius' hoarse voice tell his story for what seemed like hours. When he was done, Arianna was speechless. Finally, she whispered, "Sirius, do you have any proof of this?" 

Sirius bit his lip. "No, I don't. All I have to prove that this story is true is out of my hands. A few would swear on anything that it is true, but I hardly believe even you would listen to them." 

Arianna was silent. Her mind was swirling. His story sounded _very _unlikely, but then again, what _was_ likely these days? Somehow, she couldn't see Peter working for Voldemort; nor could she see Remus as a werewolf. He had been sick a lot, but still…

Sirius sighed. "Look Ari, I'm not asking you to believe me. I just needed to tell you the truth. You deserve to know what happened; after all you've been through. Right now I have absolutely nothing to back up my story except for my word, which probably counts for little more than naff. (naff= basically, crap ;) I owe it to you, though." He suddenly smiled a little. "Just like I owed it to Harry…"

"You told Harry?"

Then Sirius told of his adventures of Hogwarts with a cat, Harry and his friends, and Remus Lupin. Again, Arianna was silent afterwards. He had given her even more to debate about. Though most of the evidence proved Sirius guilty, there was still a chance that Sirius' story was true. And of course, she _wanted_ to believe him. He was her perfect older brother; she had fantasized for years about how they could be wrong, how he was innocent…but of course she had given up, for everyone thought differently.

Now, the decision weighted on her shoulders. Sirius had said that she didn't need to believe him, but she thought she must decide anyway. If he was telling the truth, she had her brother back, and as long as they could find Pettigrew again, everything would be wonderful. If he wasn't…Arianna didn't even want to think of what would happen then.

Sirius looked from side to side and put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Ari, I'll leave now. My business is done here." He started to head for the door. 

Arianna reacted fast. "What do you think you're doing?" she snarled, getting up and blocking the door. 

Sirius looked at her, obviously surprised. "Leaving," he replied. 

"So you're telling me you have a place to stay," Arianna said, thinking fast, weighing her chances. 

Sirius forced a laugh. "Who would shelter a convicted murderer, even an innocent one? Of course I don't have a place to stay. But," He reached for the knob. "I'll change into a dog. I'll get by." 

_This is a serious risk, _she thought to herself. _But what else can I do? I'm not about to leave him out there, not if there's a chance he's innocent. Hopefully, he's not lying. _She snorted out loud. "Yeah, right. Sirius, you're going to stay with me, at least for tonight." 

Sirius looked at her, dumbfounded. "B-But…you don't even believe me! How do you know I won't kill you during the night? How did you know someone won't find out? How…?"

Arianna held the door closed. "I know what I'm doing, Sirius. Just be thankful I'm letting you stay. I know I'm risking a lot." She stared hard at him. "You're my brother. I can't leave you out there, no matter what I think you've done. I know you would do the same for me if our roles were switched. Now, sit down on the couch. I'll go ask one of my neighbors for a razor." 

Sirius sat down, looking very grateful. Then he realized what she had said. "A razor?" 

"Yes, a razor. Honestly, Sirius, have you seen yourself? You look like one of those old religious pensioners, except somewhat younger. Where are those scissors?" Arianna dug around her apartment. 

Sirius smiled. "Well, they don't give haircuts or let us shave over in Azkaban. All we really do is eat manky food and get scared out of our bloody wits by the dementors. I was able to improve my appearance a little bit last year…but I suppose it's grown back…" 

"Aha! Here they are." She handed Sirius a pair of scissors. "Now I'll go next door and see if Mr. Querty has a razor you can use…I sure hope you remember how to shave, cause two-year olds know how to do it better than I." 

"Of course not, Arianna. The thing I want the most is for me to look like some daft bloke, with only a half shave, and dozens of cuts from the blade…"

Arianna laughed a little. Ankara hadn't affected his sense of humor considerably—he was still the master of lame jokes. "And I hope you know how to cut hair. I'm a veterinarian, not a groomer, for heaven's sakes…"

"Bugger, Ari! You're making me remember too much! Don't you know what twelve bloody years in Azkaban can do to a person? You forget everything!" Sirius wailed in mock distress. "Can't I use your wand?" 

"Yeah, right, good one," Arianna said, smirking. 

~ * ~

Arianna was finding it harder and harder every second to not believe his story. He seemed so good, so normal…so like he used to be. He didn't seem like a convicted murderer and minion of Voldemort. _Still,_ Arianna thought darkly, _it could all be an act. Don't trust him too much. You'll probably regret it later. Don't let your guard down just because he's normal. _She tried not to let her thoughts show on her face as she watched Sirius try to cut his hair. It was fairly easy because he was failing horribly.

"Are you sure I can't just use your wand?" Sirius complained. "This mirror isn't clear enough,"

Arianna shook her head giggling. "This is your punishment," she said sweetly. 

"Awww…give over …Why do I have to do this anyway?" 

Arianna stared hard at him, bewildered. "You're telling me you _like_ looking like Rip Van Winkle, that Muggle in that story we read once?" 

"What do you mean? It's better than it was. I shaved a little since I got out of Azkaban." 

Arianna looked at him pitifully, as if to say, 'Codswallop.' 

Sirius laughed a little and held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, fine. What about your wand?" 

Arianna twiddled it in between her fingers teasingly. "Well, I don't know…" 

"Ari…" 

"Fine," she gave in. Walking over, she muttered a quick spell so that his hair was cut the way it used to be. His beard disappeared, too. "What did they do with your wand, anyway, Sirius?" 

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. They took it away. I bet what's left are small pitiful splinters, though. Most likely snapped in half." His voice held a bitter undertone. 

Arianna winced. "Blimey," she said, finishing up and walking away. She left her wand on the table. 

Sirius eyed it carefully. "Ari, you left your wand on the table," 

She hadn't exactly noticed, but tried to be calm about it. "So?" 

"Aren't you afraid that I'll grab it, shoot some *deadly* curse at you, laugh maniacally like a dimwit and run away?" 

Arianna laughed. "You said you wouldn't earlier." 

"Yeah, but I thought that you didn't believe me."

Arianna looked thoughtful, and suddenly she found herself speaking. "Call it a feeling," she started dreamily, "but I don't think you would, even if you lied to me before. I've been thinking about it… You could have killed me last night, without me even knowing you had been here. But you didn't." Oddly enough, as she spoke the words, she believed them, too. Somewhere in her heart she had always known that he was right. 

"Besides," she continued, walking up and patting his bandaged leg, "You couldn't walk far with this."

He looked sideways at her. "You sure about that?"

Arianna laughed. "Of course I am," she said, sounding surer then she actually was. She hastily changed the subject. "You can sleep on the couch."

Sirius' expression changed dramatically. He immediately looked extremely offended. "What kind of service is this? Here I am, mortally wounded, almost on my deathbed, and _you_ get the nice homely bed?!?!"

"Hey, it's my apartment," Arianna argued. "Stop being so dramatic. You are _not _mortally wounded, and _certainly_ not on your blooming deathbed. You can hobble around." 

Sirius sniffed indignantly. "Fine then. Some doctor you must be." 

"Only to you, dear brother. Only to you." 

~ * ~

Matt Jarvis absentmindedly played with a sweet wrapper on his desk, folding it into halves, fourths and even eighths before unfolding it again. He ripped it several times before he noticed what he was doing. He sighed in frustration and threw the little pieces away, resting his head on his desk. He should have left hours ago, but was still here at the Magical Menagerie, thinking.

He'd seen her again today. Arianna Newmoon, the "new witch". She wasn't exactly new anymore, as she had been working for at least two months now, but the name had stuck. She was usually quiet, but had loosened up a bit since her first days. Matt had a feeling she was hiding something. She rarely truly smiled and never talked about anything personal. She bit her lip whenever people made dumb jokes and didn't like nicknames…Matt smiled and laughed a little at how she had reacted to him simply calling her "Ari".

He liked her, despite how odd she acted. In fact, maybe it was _because_ of that. Whenever he saw her, he felt warm inside, something he had never really felt before. Not for the first time, Matt wondered if his feelings for her extended beyond friendship. She was rather pretty in his eyes… 

"Matt? Are you still here?" Matt turned around in his seat to see who was asking. It was William, the head doctor and owner of the place. He usually stayed late to close up. 

"Yeah, I'm still here. Don't worry, I'll close up. I…I just want to stay a wee bit longer." 

William smiled at him, putting his hands in the pockets of his robes. "Thinking great thoughts?" 

"Actually, I sort of am," he said. He hesitated thoughtfully. "What would you say if I told you I fancied someone?"

William laughed. "I would say that it's about danged time. Honestly, Matt when was the last time you fell in love? Five years? Six?"

Matt laughed, too, almost bitterly. 

"So, Matt, who's the lucky girl?" William inquired, interested.

Matt grinned. "I never said I was," he pointed out slyly. "I just wanted to know what you would say." 

William looked disappointed. "All right, fine then, don't tell me. I don't know about you, but I'm going gaffe. You staying?" (gaffe=home)

Matt sighed. "I guess I'll head for gaffe, too. Are all the animals fed?" 

William took out his wand and muttered a quick spell. "They are now," he replied.

"Well, aren't you the laziest head doctor I've ever seen…" William laughed as Matt started to pack up his stuff. He zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Turning to William, he said, "Bye. I'll see you tomorrow, right?" 

William nodded and headed for the front. He reached in the bars of a cat's cage and patted it gently before leaving. Matt took a look around to make sure everything was right and walked out. By this time, William had already Apparated away. Matt locked the door securely and Apparated himself home, still thinking about Arianna.

~ * ~

Matt appeared near his small home. Not many Muggles lived in his area; so it was okay do things like that around here. His house here was the one he had grown up with his mother in, but she had died about a year ago. It was hard for Matt to keep up with all the bills and he was already thinking about taking second job or something. He knew he could just try to find a cheaper place to stay, but somehow, Matt didn't really want to leave his childhood home. He had grown attached to the purple shutters and blue furnishings, not to mention the many memories the house held from his childhood. 

Matt laughed to himself as he got his wand out to open his house. To his great surprise and shock, the door was already open. Matt knew he had locked it earlier that day. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he walked in, keeping his wand close at hand in case he might need it. 

No one was in the hall, or the kitchen. The living room was a different story. 

Sitting on Matt's off-yellow couch, was a tall man who bore a striking resemblance to Matt himself. Someone Matt didn't think he would ever see again. He smiled at Matt strangely. "Hello, again. Long time no see, huh? Well, it's finally time. Now that your blasted mother's gone and my master has finally risen, we can get back to work. Sound good?"

Matt backed up. "Father…?" he whispered. "I…" He stuttered, trying to find something to say.

"You don't have to say anything, my son. Just come with me," Matt's father said, his eyes glowing a little strangely. He stood up and touched Matt's arm. Suddenly Matt was not in his living room anymore, but rather, thousands of miles away. 

A/N: Once again…review? *looks hopeful* Hmm…lots of strange things here, huh? Arianna's got a secret admirer…who *coughs*hasaninterestingbackground*coughs*. But more about that later. ^_^ Yes, it's a cliffy, for all those evil authors who have left me on them. :-p

Lily Smith—Thanks a bunch for reviewing the first time I posted AND the 2nd time. Kudos to you—I'm glad you loved it so much that you came back and looked for the next chapter! ^_^ Hope you liked this one, too. 

flourishes— eh…sorry about that cliffhanger thing…you'll have to deal with this one as well. Don't worry, most likely the wait won't be long. I really like name definitions too…especially when they signify something about the character (is this a hint? I have no clue *cough*)

Xue rui chi—Thanks! (I wish you said more so I could reply more…*hint* 

Melockerty—Hehe…hope you're satisfied now. Thank you for reading and reviewing. 

Disclaimer: Matt's mine! William's mine! Arianna's mine! All the other stuff that's mine is mine! (lol) Everything else is J.K. Row ling's. Rip Van Winkle belongs to some old dead author up in heaven somewhere. *shrugs* I don't 'member what his name was. 


	4. Dark Pasts

"Where am I?" Matt asked his father, Duncan Jarvis, a little angrily as they walked along the dark path. 

"You'll see," Duncan said mysteriously. 

Matt clenched his teeth. He wasn't in the best of moods. He didn't like being pushed around by anyone, even his own father. And it didn't seem like they were going anywhere particularly appetizing to Matt's stomach _or his heart._

"Look, Dad, I don't know where you're taking me, but I'm telling you right now, I don't like it. And I don't do what I don't bloody like. I'm going home." Matt started to move his wand. 

Duncan grabbed his hand. "Don't judge so quickly, Matthew." He said quietly. "Besides, I doubt you'd be able to get home from here. This place is heavily guarded." 

Matt didn't say anything. He was trying to remember the times when Duncan had been his father. 

It was only for around ten years. Voldemort (Matt's mum had taught Matt not to be afraid to say his name) had first rose into power when Matt was seven or so, and Duncan formally announced that he was supporting him three years later. Matt's mother hadn't known that side of his father, or maybe he hadn't always been that way, because she wouldn't have married him otherwise. Anyway, as soon as she could, she took Matt and ran away from Duncan. She'd managed to hide Matt for a long time, and he was safe, but she had to teach him magic herself for fear that Duncan would find Matt at a magic school. She took care of Matt for all those years, even after Voldemort had disappeared courtesy of Harry Potter. Matt could barely even remember _any_ times with his father, much less any pleasant ones. 

Matt looked around the dark gloom of the underground path. Remembering those things about his father made it fairly obvious where he was, or at least where he was going. To Voldemort. You-Know-Who. Whatever. The thought didn't really make the situation any better, so Matt just decided to follow Duncan along.  He was right, even if much Matt didn't want to believe it. If he _was_ going to see Voldemort, then there was bound to be guards, may they be human or not. He certainly didn't _want_ to go see Voldemort, but, for the moment, he didn't seem to have a choice.

      Duncan noted his son's silence and accepted it gratefully. He didn't want to hurt Matt, but all the same, he had to get him to support the Dark Lord. He had promised his master another Death Eater so many years ago, yet the promise had not been kept. _All because of Chandra. Damn her! Master told me it was wrong to fall in love…I didn't listen. _He looked over at Matt, who was following, head down. _Oh, well. Maybe it didn't turn out so bad after all…I got a son in the deal…_

Matt wished he knew what his father was thinking. He often had that wish, even though he knew it was impossible to ever make true. If only…

"Wait here," Duncan suddenly said. Matt looked up. He couldn't see anything special, but obeyed anyway. Duncan whispered a few evil sounding words and waved his wand three times. Matt watched with interest he vainly tried to hide. 

Suddenly, in front of Duncan's feet appeared a large black square. Matt quickly recognized it as a teleport pad. Duncan turned around. 

"Matthew, this will bring you to your destination. Step lightly, now," he said, motioning. Matt took a sidelong glance at the pad and quickly decided he didn't like the looks of it. He hesitated, dragging the minutes out and doing exactly the opposite of what his father had asked.

Duncan was not too pleased. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Matt chose his words carefully. "I…I don't think I'm going to like where that will take me, Father." 

"You'll never know unless you give it a shot. Who knows? You could absolutely love it," Duncan said evenly. 

"That's okay," Matt said, stepping back a little. "I think I'll pass. I—"

It was too late. Duncan pushed Matt onto the pad, and he was gone again. 

~ * ~

Arianna opened her eyes the next morning and yawned. Sunshine was drifting in through her window, and birds were chirping. It was going to be a beautiful day. And a Saturday, on top of that, so no work. Arianna smiled to herself and opened the door to the small living room. 

Sirius was there, snoring on the couch. Arianna sighed and kicked his outstretched arm. He didn't move. She smiled. _See, he's still the same Sirius he was, _she said to herself. _Nothing to worry about…_

She knew that wasn't exactly true, but it was a nice thought. _I wonder why he was wondering around the Muggle area, she thought. __Well, I guess it doesn't really matter because I can't leave him out there when he's injured like this._

Arianna bustled around her kitchen, using magic here and there to aid her in making breakfast. When she was done, Sirius was stretching on the couch. 

"Hey,"

He turned around. " 'Morning. Your couch is very uncomfortable, you know." 

Arianna laughed. "Yeah, right. Nice try, Sirius." 

Sirius looked a little disappointed, but then he smelled the food. "Ooh…breakfast is ready, isn't it?"

Arianna put the plate with some bacon and eggs down on the table. "Aye, but just for that previous comment of yours, you don't get any."

"What? Oh, give over, that isn't fair. I didn't know my bed would cost me my breakfast!" 

Arianna held her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. "Oh, well," she replied. "You should have thought about that."

"Okay, I'm sorry. Your couch is very comfortable, Arianna. Can I eat now?" 

     "I suppose. Go ahead." She said, pushing the plate towards him. He got up with some difficulty and sat down at the table. The food was gone in a matter of a few minutes. Arianna raised her eyebrows. _That's right, _she said to herself. _He probably hasn't had very good food lately._

Sirius looked a little wistful. "Er, Ari, would you mind…?"

"Making more? Uh, huh, okay." Arianna turned and walked back into the kitchen. 

" Thanks. I haven't ate real food since Harry and his friends brought me some," Sirius said, loud enough for Arianna to hear in the kitchen.  

"When was the last time you saw Harry?" Arianna asked, heating the bacon up while wondering about her brother's godson.

"Actually, it was only about a fortnight ago. Lately, I've been keeping a low profile. You know, wondering around as a dog. Pretending to be a lovable stray." Arianna smiled slightly at that. "They started the Triwizard Tournament again this year, you know." 

"Really?" Arianna asked. She'd never experienced one, of course, since they stopped holding them a long time ago, but she had read about them in books. 

"Aye. With Durmstrang and Beaxbatons, like usual. Except this year there were four champions instead of three."

Arianna frowned. "Why was that?" She asked, bringing the food she had made out. 

Sirius' mouth twitched a little. "Well…someone cocked up the Goblet of Fire. And so, after all the other champions' names came out, Harry's did." He started eating again, talking in between mouthfuls.  

"_Harry?" Arianna dropped her napkin in surprise_. __

"Yup."

"But...isn't he too young? He can't be more than fifteen!"

"He isn't. That was the mystery of the thing." Suddenly, Sirius smiled. "And he ended up winning, too. I swear, that boy's as brilliant as James was, if not more."

Arianna noticed the wistful tone in her brother's voice. _He misses James. He couldn't have…_

_Don't start that again, _she said to herself. "How did it all turn out?"

Sirius considered the question. "I'll spare you the details. You remember old Barty Crouch?" 

Arianna 's lip curled unconsciously but she just nodded in response.  She remembered all too well the gruff man who had refused to give Sirius a proper trial before shipping him off to Azkaban.  

"Well, it turns out his son, you know, the one they put in Azkaban with me, didn't really die in there. I'll explain later, but anyway, he's been alive this whole time, and waiting to find Voldemort again. He put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire so he could lead Harry to danger in the end. And it worked. But Harry escaped again. There was one casualty, though. The other Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory, died." 

Arianna winced. " Death Eaters are merciless," she said, watching him carefully to see his reaction to her comment. Sirius looked like he couldn't agree more. _He could still be acting, Arianna reminded herself. _

"There's something I have to tell you, Arianna. Something that's way more important than anything else I've said. If you were only to believe one thing I said, this would be it. I'm dead serious, for once." His now black eyes looked into her hazel ones sincerely. 

Arianna felt chills up her spine. "Go ahead," she whispered. 

"Arianna, Voldemort's back."

Her heart sank to the ground and six feet under. "What?" 

"He's back, and I would swear on Lily and James' dead graves that I'm telling the truth. This is really important, Ari. Dumbledore knows, I know. A few other people here and there know, but that's basically it. Fudge wouldn't believe us when we told him."

"That's…That's…" Arianna opened and closed her mouth, trying to find the right words. Voldemort, back? Preposterous! Codswallop! But…Sirius seemed so serious about it. And Arianna doubted Sirius would be telling her he was back if it wasn't true. But she also couldn't really trust him…

_This isn't fair!_ Arianna thought angrily. _Why can't I even trust my own brother? Why do I have to choose? She sighed and slammed her fist against the table. Sirius raised an eyebrow at her curiously, but she just shook her head. _

"Ari, that's why I was in the Muggle part of Britain, You remember the order, right? A lot of them have moved into the Muggle parts of Britain. Dumbledore told me to find them and tell them about Voldemort. But…I guess I got careless." He smiled a little and looked down at his leg. 

"And now, you're here with a busted leg. Yeah, I get it." Arianna said, trying to push her doubts away. She supposed that she should believe him, at least about the Voldemort part. He seemed to be telling the truth. 

"That's right. But really, Ari, I need to go alert everyone who will listen. It doesn't matter that my leg is bruised a little. They need to know. And, I'm supposed to go back to Remus'. He's expecting me." He fought his leg a little and stood up. 

Arianna frowned. No matter how many doubts she had, she now knew she wasn't letting him leave until he was better. "Oh no you don't," she said firmly, grabbing his hand. 

He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "No, Sirius, you listen to me," she said. "I've been through a lot these past few years. I have a lot of doubts about you right now, and I'm sure you know that, but I want you to know that I am _not _letting you leave until you're well. I already lost my father, my sisters, and my mother. I thought I lost my brother, too." She looked at him. "But, now I think I might be getting him back. I don't want to lose him…you…again, Sirius."

Sirius narrowed his eyes.  "Mum…did she die?" 

Arianna sighed.  "Yes.  It was about two years ago.  She was always sick and miserable after everything…and one day, she just…" She let it hang in the air and looked down at the floor. 

Sirius looked troubled.  "And Melaina…?"

Arianna could only shrug.  "After…you know, Aileen…she was so distant.  And one day, she never came home.  We…I have never heard anything from her since then.  Mum used to tell me she ran off to some faraway country out there.  But I know better.  Most likely she's gone, too."

He looked down at the floor.  "How did our family just… fall apart?" he whispered, his voice cracking a bit. 

Arianna tried to smile a bit.  "I don't know…but we should make do with what we have, Sirius…each other.  I told you…I don't want to lose you."

Sirius looked up and his eyes sparkled a little with what Arianna dared to hope might possibly be tears. "You're a great sister, you know," he said. "Much better than I deserve." 

Arianna snorted. "That's the most sensible thing you've said all morning," she declared, smiling a bit more. 

~ * ~

The atmosphere in Matt's house when he woke up from the few hours of sleep he had, unfortunately, wasn't as cheery as Arianna's. In fact, it was downright uptight and nervous. Matt hadn't gotten home from "visiting" Voldemort until early in that morning, and on top of that, what he had heard, seen, and experienced, sleep didn't come too easily. It was scary down there. Gave even the bravest person chills. All the people in hooded cloaks, especially that woman that had brought them to Voldemort— Matt had no idea who she was, but he had heard an oddly familiar female voice from underneath her hood—that was the only way he knew she was a woman. And Voldemort himself of course, made the place feel twice as scary. Matt wondered now old he really was, and kind of sniggered to himself. He didn't really care what his father said. He wasn't switching over to Voldemort, not for a million Galleons. 

At least his first "job" wasn't too difficult. He could pretend without hurting anyone. Voldemort himself didn't really assign him anything, just told him to keep an eye out and wait. Apparently, one of the Death Eaters, Pettigrew, usually called "Wormtail", was a fair-weather friend, and a very slippery one at that, though he sounded like a coward to Matt. He needed to be watched, and Matt didn't especially mind. Something interesting Matt had learned about this Pettigrew was that he was an unregistered Animagus, something Matt never would have guessed at first glance at the little bald man Voldemort had shown him, and still couldn't believe it—he seemed so helpless. 

_What day is it? Matt wondered absentmindedly to himself, as his stomach swirled. _Oh, yeah. July 5th. A Saturday. _Saturday. That meant something, he knew. It was his day to work the cashier shift in the Magical Menagerie. _

Matt really did not feel like working, especially not after what he had gone through. As he recalled the night's events, he suddenly felt a rise in his throat, and ran into the kitchen, eventually throwing up in the sink. 

Dizzy, Matt fell the floor. He suddenly felt disgusted at the way he was acting, but he couldn't help himself. He leaned against the cabinet and gulped a few times, trying to get the nasty taste out of his throat and clear his mind a little. It helped, but not much. _I can't believe that place is really making me act like this. Was it really that…Matt swallowed again as he remembered. The endless black hoods. There had even been a few dementors down here, and Matt was sure he had heard the cry of a lethifold. But almost worst of all had been Voldemort's icy voice._

Luckily, he had not spoken long with Voldemort. It had just been a simple in introduction. Apparently, the Dark Lord had been busy. Matt had been given his orders by the female hooded figure.  But she had refused to show her face.  He shuddered again.  

_Okay, so maybe it was a little bad. But get grip on yourself, Jarvis! Matt thought as he warily tried to stand up. It took a while, but he made it. _There's no way I can work like this, _he thought to himself. _Maybe I'll call someone and ask if they can take my shift for me. __

He was feeling better already. He grabbed his wand from the counter and made a fire in the fireplace. Without even thinking, he whispered the communication spell, and when it asked whom he wanted to call, he answered with the first name that came to his mind.

 "Arianna Newmoon".

~ * ~

Arianna cleaned the dishes magically and settled down on her couch next to Sirius, who had started complaining about his leg again.

"Why does this damn bloody thing hurt so much?" he asked, frustrated. "You're a doctor, right? Tell me!"

Arianna rolled her eyes at him. "Number One: I'm a veterinarian, not a doctor. Didn't I tell you that already? Number Two: Sirius, your leg's broken. Of course, it will hurt." 

He grinned a little. "Point taken." Sirius laid back on the couch. "So, Ari, what do you do here all day?"

"Well, _normally, I'd go out. To the park or something. But, today, unfortunately, I've got an injured guest. So, no outings today."_

Sirius frowned and opened his mouth to answer, but just then, there was a beep, and music started playing. Sirius looked bewildered, but Arianna laughed, blushing slightly. "Oh, looks like someone wants to talk to me." Sirius gave her a strange look, but she brushed him off. "I'll explain in a minute."

Arianna walked into her bathroom. Since she didn't have a fireplace, she had to use the mirror to receive calls. "Arianna here," she said to the mirror. "Who's calling?"

One minute, Arianna was looking at her own chestnut-haired, hazel-eyed self, and the next, the image rippled into the image of a man. Blue eyes. Brown hair. Slight, mysterious smile…

"Matt?" She asked, surprised. 

"Hey, Arianna." It was him, all right. Though, he did look a little pale, and there were rings under his eyes, like he hadn't had much sleep the night before. 

"The fire had trouble finding you," he said. "I had to wait for at least ten minutes." 

"Oh, really?" Arianna tried to sound surprised, though she wasn't in the least bit. Even though she had registered as Arianna Newmoon, somehow magic could still tell that she was a Black.

     "Uh, huh." 

There was an awkward silence. Arianna nervously flicked a lock of her hair behind her shoulder. "So, why'd you call me?" 

Matt laughed a little, quite nervously. "Oh, right. Well, I uh— " Before he could say anything, he burst into a fit of coughs. 

Arianna felt concerned. "Matt, are you okay? You look pale, and…"

Matt managed to cease his coughing and looked back at her. "Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, I was wondering, today's my shift at the Menagerie. Could you…"

"Take it for you?" Arianna guessed. Matt nodded, clearing his throat a little "Sure, I'll do it. But, are you sure you're all right? You look horrible."

"I told you, I'm fine." He said firmly and coughed again as his cheeks flushed faintly. _She cares about me…_ "I'm sorry that this is such short notice. But I'm feeling a little…" 

"That's okay, Matt. Get some rest. I'll be at the Menagerie in a flash." Arianna said, smiling to reassure him. 

The corners of his mouth turned up a little. "I'm really sorry, again. Bye, Arianna." His image suddenly vanished.

Arianna sighed. It actually wasn't okay. Arianna didn't want to leave Sirius alone in her apartment while she worked. And she certainly couldn't take him with her. But she knew she couldn't let Matt go work. He had looked very sick, definitely in no shape to leave home. Oh, well. She would see what Sirius thought.

     She informed him of the situation. Sirius shifted his weight anxiously. "So you have to go, right?" He hesitated, and slowly asked, "Can I come with you?" 

"Sirius! You dozy prat! In your condition! Besides, you're an escaped convict! What people would think…?"

"Not like this, nitwit. As a dog. You work at an animal shop, right? It wouldn't be unusual. You could say that you found me hurt somewhere. You wouldn't be lying." 

Arianna considered this. "It could work," she said softly. "Okay, then. Come with me. Just try to stay out of trouble, all right?" She almost laughed at her own words. Telling Sirius Black to stay out of trouble when he was a kid was like telling any normal person not to breathe. Telling him the same thing as a teenager wasn't much different. But maybe now that he was an adult…

Sirius struck a hand to his chest. "But of course, madam," he said putting on a strong accent. 

She laughed. "Okay, then, if you're coming, change, because I'm leaving _now." _

Sirius saluted and Arianna walked into her room to get her stuff while Sirius changed. When she came back, a large, black dog was waiting for her in the front room. Arianna smiled at him. 

"Well, come along, Padfoot." 

The dog grinned and followed her out the apartment.

A/N: Hey, everyone!  Okay, so OoP's out.  And of course, there are *glaring* errors with this story…starting with the entire face that Sirius had no sisters and if he did they would be DEs…anyway, so I guess the point is, shall I continue?  Because I did have sort of a plotline, and if people are still interested, I could keep on going…it depends on you, so tell me in your reviews how you feel.  

Disclaimer: Nothing except *breath* Arianna, Matt and Duncan are mine *breath*. They belong to you-know-who. Wait….no! Not _that You-Know-Who. J.K. Rowling. *nods* _

Names: (wondering why I do this? Well, *cough*HINT*cough* I adore Rowling's way of naming characters significantly, so, I've adopted the habit as well, and you can certainly infer something about a person's character in this story from the name I've given them.)  

Duncan- seen a lot for this one, but the one I like best is "dark warrior", Gaelic 

Chandra- "moon", Indian (Hindu, although I assure you, Matt's family is purely English ;)


	5. Old Friends

"Okay, we're here."

Padfoot looked at the numerous cages. There were cats, other dogs, birds, rats (Arianna thought she saw him tense at the sight of them), owls, Kneazles, and even a few flobberworms in the corner. They were all sizes and shapes, too. He snorted as best a dog could and walked on.

Arianna shook her head. "Hi, Chestnut," she said softly, addressing a small brown speckled black Kneazle. It mewed back. Padfoot snorted again. 

She rolled her eyes again and ignored him. She walked forward and set her bag on the register table. ""Okay, Sirius. Closet." 

The dog gave her a look that plainly said, "Do I _hav_e to?"

"Of course you do," Arianna replied, opening the door. "Now scat." 

Padfoot dropped his head and lumbered in. Arianna was sure that if he could talk he would be grumbling incoherently. She chuckled to herself and took her wand out of her bag. She used her wand to light up the "open" letters on the window and waited for customers to start trickling in. 

~ * ~

Remus Lupin paced the rooms of his house. "I've searched near all of the Muggle towns Sirius was going to. Where is he?" he muttered to himself. 

He was very worried about his friend. Sirius had left Remus' house a couple weeks ago to tell everyone else about Voldemort's revival, and Remus was sure he was supposed to be back by now. Also, he had heard about him getting shot by the Muggle. That was enough to make him start looking for Sirius. But he hadn't had any luck so far.

_Think, Remus, _he thought to himself. _Sirius is most likely running around as a dog right now. Well, maybe some pet shop picked him up. I'll check Diagon Alley. I need to get some new robes anyway. _Instantly, he felt a little better. He looked out the window. 

_I hope you're all right, Padfoot, my friend, _he thought, smiling wistfully.

~ * ~

A short girl with a black ponytail was looking at the tawny owls in the corner. Arianna watched her out of the corner of her eye. Today had been a relatively slow day, and she was thankful, for it gave her a chance to think. 

"Sirius…I want to trust you," she whispered to herself. "You're my big brother. I've always looked up to you. But…so much has happened. All too fast." She rested her head on top of her hands. "So much for a peaceful life. With a brother like mine, how can I ever expect life to be normal?" Arianna certainly could have imagined it, but she thought she heard a faint noise coming from the closet, like someone was pushing it. Sirius probably had heard her. Damn that excellent dog hearing, she thought to herself. She played absentmindedly with her hair, braiding the ends and unraveling it repeatedly. It was a bad habit from her childhood, playing with her hair when anxious. She looked up and noticed that the black-haired girl who was in before had left. And now, the door was opening, the entrance bell ringing, and a man was stepping in. Arianna dropped the strand of hair she was playing with the instant she saw him. He was fairly young, she could see, probably around Sirius' age, but he looked older, somehow. Like he had been through a lot at a young age. His light brown hair was even flecked with gray in some spots. And for some odd reason, he looked strangely familiar. 

Her eyes followed his figure walk across the shop. He looked particularly interested in the dogs, though he didn't seem to find what he was looking for. Arianna watched him make his way slowly up to the counter. She gave him a nice smile, for up close, he looked very, very worried. "May I help you, sir?" 

"Ah, yes, actually. Er…have picked up any…" he leaned close to her, "big black dogs, by any chance? Or seen any nearby?" 

Arianna's blood suddenly ran ice cold, and she could have sworn that her heart skipped a beat. Was this man one of the Ministry workers after her brother? How did they know about him being an Animagus? She herself had only found out a few days ago. It didn't matter anyway. Arianna knew she had to keep a cool head. "No, actually, we haven't seen any. Sorry," she added, as an afterthought. 

The man nodded, and made to leave, but suddenly, there was an undeniably loud scratching on the back closet door. Arianna nearly bit her tongue. Sirius! What was he doing? She smiled helplessly at the man, who was eying the door strangely. 

Suddenly, Sirius started barking and growling from behind the door. Arianna had no clue what he was up to. The man looked as if he had suddenly realized something, and looked at Arianna. "Miss, could you please open that door? There's something inside, isn't there?" 

Arianna gritted her teeth. It looked as if she didn't have a choice. She looked around the store, to make sure no one else was present, and then unlocked the door. Padfoot ran out. Arianna resisted the urge to kick the huge dog in the leg as it passed her. "You see, sir, it's just, er, a big dog of mine, and I— Holy…" she trailed off speechless as the man's eyes lit up and the dog ran to him. They embraced. Arianna, feeling slightly bewildered and out of place, went up to them and said. "Um, I hate to break up this happy reunion or whatever, but I have a feeling an explanation's in order, and it would work a lot better if we dealt with it in the stockroom then out here." Being careful to not let any of the doctors see the man or Padfoot, she called one of them in to take over the register for a little while.

The man and Padfoot followed Arianna out and into the stock room, which was crowded with new animal products, but otherwise, very secluded. "Okay, make it quick," she said. "I have a shop to run." 

Sirius changed back into himself and managed to force his uncooperative bandaged leg into a position to sit. "Arianna, this is my old friend Remus Lupin. Remus, you remember my littlest sister, I presume?"

Lupin smiled at her. "Yes, I do, remember Arianna…so you are still around. After everything…you just disappeared."

Arianna's eyes widened, and she could only nod in reply. Lupin? The _werewolf_? Suddenly, without realizing it, she imagined him sprouting gray fur…those hands hardening into claws…

Arianna, what are you thinking? Don't you remember? Remus was the nicest of Sirius' friends! Arianna felt like a complete and total jerk. It was obvious all that stuff about werewolves was just bigotry. Remus Lupin was one of her brother's best friends, and had been for years. Lupin, however, was now concerning himself with her brother. 

"Sirius! Have you been here the whole time? I thought Dumbledore told you to stay with me!" Lupin was talking to Sirius now, who was looking a little guilty. 

"I'm sorry, Moony. He did, but as you probably already know…I got shot. It was pretty bad. My sister here found me, and took me in. And here I am. Well, that's the short version anyway." Sirius smiled wistfully. 

"That's okay, Sirius. I'm just glad you're okay. You sent me on a wild goose chase, you know. I was thinking about owling Dumbledore…" 

Dumbledore? Arianna thought curiously. 

Sirius snorted. "I'm glad you didn't. That would have been mighty embarrassing. Look, Remus, could you help me out a little? I still need to tell a few more people about…you know. But, seeing as I'm a bit handicapped, not to mention under hostage," he stopped, clearing his throat loudly and looking at his sister, who rolled her eyes. "You'll need to do it. I didn't tell…" he looked Arianna appraisingly, who was still listening intently. "You mind?"

Arianna huffed. " Oh fine. I'll leave. Have your little boy talk." She stepped over a box and walked out the door. She thanked the doctor that has taken her place and resumed to leaning against the counter. _I'd like to be part of that…_she thought to herself, leaning slightly against the door. Dumbledore's alliance against Voldemort. Before, she had been too young. But now…

Well, it was obvious now that Sirius had not been lying about Voldemort and the Dumbledore's old crew. Remus Lupin seemed to confirm that. Arianna guessed that he was one of the people Sirius had mentioned that would "swear his story was true". She supposed she had to believe him. Arianna smiled in spite of herself. _I should've known I could never have a normal life in the wizarding world. It's always changing!_

~ * ~ 

Sirius and Remus finished their little talk rather quickly, and the door opened to reveal Remus and Sirius standing in the doorway. Arianna eyed them both wistfully. 

She started sweating again. _Oh, please, stop it! _She nearly said this aloud. _WEREWOLVES ARE NOT BAD, ARIANNA! QUIT ACTING LIKE THIS!_ Bitterly, she clenched her jaw to keep it from quivering. "H-Hullo. You two…finished?"

If Remus noticed her stuttering, he had plainly chose to ignore it. "Mostly," He smiled at Arianna. She felt queasy, but grinned stupidly anyway. 

Sirius looked at his old friend anxiously. "So you can go tell them all about Voldemort right away? It really isn't too much trouble?"

Remus shook his head. "It's fine, Sirius. I'll tell them all, and as fast as I can, don't worry. This is part of my job." 

Arianna stared blankly at the two. There was suddenly quite an awkward pause between the three. She looked over at Remus and felt anxious to do something nice to him…to ease her guilty conscience about being scared still. Her teeth chattered unpleasantly, but she spoke anyway. "Uh…Remus…well, it's almost the end of my shift here…if you like you can have dinner with us at my apartment or something…" she trailed off rather nervously.

Sirius smiled at the thought, but Remus shook his head again. "It's very kind of you to offer," he started (_He's so polite! You see?) _"But, I think I better get going now and alert those people." He waved at them. "I'll see you guys around soon, most likely. Bye for now."

"Cheerio!" Sirius called after him, as he closed the door. Arianna muttered a quick good-bye and tried to hide her obvious relief at Remus' decline. Sirius looked down at her, thankfully not noticing. "When does your shift end?" he asked curiously.

Arianna looked at her watch. "Actually….right about now. Clarice will be coming in to take the evening, so we can go home free once she's here." She looked at him. "You'd better turn back into a dog now. People may walk in any minute."

He nodded and moments later a black dog sat in the place that her brother had stood in seconds earlier. Arianna locked him in the closet again and walked into the infirmary to say good-bye to the doctors in there and do some other things. When she walked back out, sure enough, Clarice Grensky, a young blonde girl with dimples was at the counter, attending to customers. Arianna flashed a smile at Clarice and unlocked the closet, pretending to look for a broom. She managed to smuggle Sirius out of the store and walked down the street with him at her side. After walking down the streets in silence for awhile, Arianna took Sirius home. 

~ * ~

Arianna crept inside the building with Padfoot, glad it was now dark outside so his color could be camouflaged. She guided the dog down the hall to her front door. Padfoot sniffed the door and looked up at Arianna expectantly, waiting for her to open it. Arianna swung it open with her wand. She stood aside to let Padfoot slip in first. 

Suddenly, the door across from Arianna's opened. Arianna gasped in shock and tried to hide the big black dog behind her. Her neighbor, Bridgette Greene and her small daughter Karenza lived there.

"I'm gonna go ask Miss Newmoon, kay, Mum?" Karenza was standing in the doorway, her back to Arianna. She turned before Arianna could usher Padfoot into her apartment. "Oh! Miss Newmoon! Do—" She stopped suddenly and peered around Arianna's legs. "Is…is that a _dog_?" she whispered disbelievingly.

Arianna bit her lip. _No use denying it now…she's just a little girl…I can convince her to keep a secret…I hope…_She moved aside and Padfoot blinked in the light coming from the door. 

Karenza gasped and giggled suddenly. She ran out and patted Padfoot's head. "Mummy told me we couldn't keep dogs here," she said, running her hands down his back. 

Arianna smiled weakly. "Your mother's right, Karenza…we _aren't_ allowed to have dogs here. That's why," she kneeled down so that she was the little girl's height, "why I need you to do me a favor. Can you keep this a secret?"

Karenza's eyes widened. "A…secret? That you have a dog?" Arianna nodded at her. "Even from my mummy?" Arianna bit her lip again and nodded. Karenza looked thoughtful for a few moments, and then grinned suddenly. "Wicked! Okay!" She patted Padfoot on the head again, and he licked her hand in gratitude. She giggled. "What's his name?"

Arianna blinked, then looked troubled. "Er…his name…" She looked down at the dog. _Definitely not Sirius…Padfoot would sound a little odd, too…_ "Snuffles," she said at last, using the code name Sirius had told Harry, Ron and Hermione to use for him. Padfoot nodded in approval and nudged Karenza's hand, hoping to be scratched behind the ears.

Karenza laughed. "That's a cute name, " she commented, "Yes, Snuffles, you're the best dog in the world…"

Arianna could see from the grin on Padfoot's face that her brother was clearly enjoying all this admiration. She frowned and said quickly, "Well, anyway, Karenza, Pa—I mean Snuffles and I need to go inside our apartment now. You can come and visit Snuffles in my apartment any time you like, if you want. I think he'd like that," she added, looking at the dog, who was sighing contentedly, dog-style, of course. 

Karenza smiled. "Okay, then. Cheerio, Snuffles! Bye, Miss Newmoon. Thanks for introducing me to your dog." She stood up and turned to walk away.

"Wait…did you want to ask me something, Karenza?" Arianna inquired, remembering.

Karenza looked puzzled for a moment, and then her face lit up. "Oh yeah! Miss Newmoon, do you have any cheese I could borrow for my new pet?" 

Arianna laughed. "Sure. Come on in with Snuffles and me."

~ * ~

Arianna shut the door behind Karenza and sighed. "Wow. I sure hope she keeps this a secret…"

The dog nodded and reverted to human. There was a smile on his lips.

She glared at him. "What? What's so funny?"

He grinned. "Miss Newmoon! Oh, Miss Newmoon!" he imitated, sniggering a little.

She raised an eyebrow. "How is that funny?" _Somehow he still has the maturity of a five-year old._

He cleared his throat and sighed. "Never mind. That's a cute little girl you got next door." 

Arianna smiled. "I know. And she knows how to pet a dog right, eh?"

Sirius shrugged lightly, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face. "Yeah…she does."

"Good, " Arianna confirmed. "She can keep you company while I'm at work." 

Sirius looked disappointed. "Does that mean I can't come anymore?"

"Yes," Arianna said. "It's too much work, trying to hide you all the time." 

He shrugged again. "Fine." He suddenly grinned. "Hey, wasn't it great that we saw Remus today?"

Arianna nearly dropped the pillow she was holding. "Er…yes…o-of course." she said shortly, forcing a smile. He sighed and limped over to the couch. 

"Well, I can rest a little easier, now that I know he's telling everyone else." He looked at his broken leg. "Ari…when do you think this leg will be healed?"

Arianna looked at it. "If you stay off of it and rest as much as possible, it should be okay for me to take the splint off in a few weeks." She suddenly felt a pang in her heart. What would happen when he got better? Would he just…leave her? She didn't want that…_I'll think about that when the time comes, _she thought to herself. Instead, she busied herself with preparing dinner for that night, and they soon had dinner together.

~ * ~ 

Some days later, Matt was feeling a lot better, and went back to work at the Magical Menagerie. He wanted to thank Arianna, somehow, for taking his shift that day…he knew it could sometimes be a hindrance to work on a day you were supposed to have off. And…well, anyway, the point was, he owed her somehow. He thought maybe if he bought her dinner…that was the best repayment he could think of…but….it almost sounded too formal that way. Almost like he was asking her out or something. And he definitely wasn't doing that…right? 

Anyway, he figured since it was the only thing he could think off, he could give it a try. He opened the shop door with a resolve to call Arianna and tell her somehow...only to find that she was already there, counting money from the cash register. She looked up from her work when she heard the little bell twinkle and smiled at him. "Oh, hullo, Matt. Feeling better, I presume?" 

He blinked, still astonished at her presence. "Er…yes…I suppose…" _Oh, bloody hell… I didn't know I'd be seeing her _righ_t now! I'm not ready…but if I don't do it now…I may never get another chance like this…_

Arianna laughed. "I'm just about finished up here…afterwards, I'll leave it to you. You're next shift, right?" 

He nodded dumbly. "Um…" _Come on, just spit it out! _"Er…Arianna?"

She looked up again. "Yes?"

"Well, it's actually a good thing I ran into you here…I wanted to, er, thank you for taking my shift that one day that you did…you probably had other plans—" He scratched his cheek nervously and continued, "Anyway, I was wondering…canIbuyyou dinnersometimetomakeupforit?" Each word came out faster than the other, and he spoke in a rush, just so he wouldn't chicken out before the sentence was over. He hoped she understood, because he doubted he could say it again. Luckily, she had.

Arianna blinked at him, and there was an awkward silence between the two. As his already-low confidence sunk lower, Matt was just about to burst out that she didn't have to accept if she didn't want to when she said, "Are you asking me out?" 

He cringed, but strangely knew how to answer. "Well, that's not really how I wanted to put it," he found himself saying, " But I guess…"

She laughed again, and Matt's heart sunk six feet underground. After a moment, she smiled and answered, "Sure."

His heart shot back up to his chest. "Really?"

"Yeah. Where and when?"

As they made plans and Arianna walked out, Matt felt like he was walking on air. 

A/N: Thanks to Lady Lana, Lily Smith and flourishes for the encouragement. 

Names:

Karenza- variant of "kerensa" which is Cornish for "love".

Bridgette- patron saint of poetry and wisdoem of Irish/Swedish mythology (_Brigid)_ meaning "high goddess"


End file.
